Inequalities in who relies on a private vehicle to travel to work
About 2 mins
Key points
- In England, almost two thirds of people who currently commute to work using a private vehicle believe that it would be difficult to find an alternative mode of transport.
- Across all age and occupation groups, the majority of people who currently commute to work using a private vehicle believe that it would be difficult to find an alternative mode of transport
Car use can affect our health in a number of ways. The high cost of car maintenance can place pressure on resources, particularly for low-income households, limiting what they can spend on goods or activities that support good health, and creating financial hardship. Not having access to a car can limit someone’s job opportunities and income potential. Car use also contributes to higher levels of air and noise pollution, as well as physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour, all of which are linked to poorer health.
This chart shows the percentage of people who commuted using private transport (predominantly car, but also van, motorcycle or scooter) in England in 2024, and who would find it difficult to commute by an alternative form of transport if they were unable to make the journey by private vehicle. Estimates are broken down by age and occupation.
- In England, 59.7% of commuters travelling to work by private transport would find it difficult to travel to work without their vehicle. This share varies by population groups.
- Drivers aged 50–59 years (63.7%) are more likely to depend on their private vehicle than drivers aged 17–20 years (46.9%).
- Drivers in other occupations, including students, are least likely to say that they depend on their private vehicle (52.2%), while drivers in intermediate occupations and small employers are most likely (65.1%).
The extent to which people depend on their private vehicle is partly determined by the availability and quality of public transport services, as well as journey times, the cost of travel and availability of information on public transport routes.
- The data presented here are weighted estimates from the National Travel Survey, a household survey of personal travel for residents in England.
- The unweighted sample includes 4,111 participants who are aged 17 –59, drive to work by private vehicle and answered the survey question ‘How easy or difficult would it be to make this journey some other way?’ regarding travelling to work not by private vehicle.
- A private vehicle is defined as a car, van, motorcycle, scooter or moped.
- Intermediate occupations are defined as positions in clerical, sales, service and intermediate technical occupations that do not involve general planning or supervisory powers.
Source: Department for Transport, National Travel Survey, England, 2024.
